Man held without bond inr after Gage Park, Uptown shootings

A Northwest Side man being held without bond on murder charges after police say he shot a cashier to death in Gage Park and wounded another man in Uptown Tuesday morning.

At 6:05 a.m. a gunman killed a cashier at a grocery store in the 2400-block of West 63rd Street, police said. Less than four hours later, an offender in a vehicle with the same description shot a man in the Uptown neighborhood.

Joey Jones, 31, is charged with one count each of first-degree murder and attempted murder, according to a statement from Chicago Police.

Police say Jones was outside the convenience store in the 2400 block of West 63rd Street, arguing over merchandise with Omar Maslat, the store's 57-year-old cashier.

He then tried to leave the store with the item, police said. The cashier tried to block Jones' path, but he pulled a handgun and shot the man, police said at the time.

Maslat, of the 7200 block of West 87th Street in Bridgeview, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, authorities said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

Jones, of the 3000 block of West Armitage Avenue, is scheduled appear in bond court Wednesday.

Police say he was driving a white Crown Victoria. A car matching that description was towed away by police in the Humboldt Park neighborhood late Tuesday night.

Around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, 50-year-old Brion Payne was shot in the head while stopping at a Dunkin Donuts in the Uptown neighborhood.

"He drives people back and forth for dialysis. People that are sick, he's their driver. That's what he was doing, he was stopping for coffee," said Tshayna Culpepper, victim's daughter.

Police say Jones drove to the 4500 block of North Broadway, where he shot the man.

Payne was taken in serious condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. His condition was still the same early Wednesday, police said.

"He's a great person. Comes home from work, spends time with his kids, goes back to work, comes home. I don't know why somebody would want to do this to him," said Jessica Rosado, victim's girlfriend.

Payne was shot in a crime-ridden area of Uptown, but the local alderman said it wasn't gang related.

"He's a fighter, so he's strong and we know he'll pull through. He's a good dad and we just want to find who did this and get them to justice," said Culpepper.